WISHBONE ASH 4 RARER ORIG UK 73 EX+ LP + MINT POSTER

	£		44
	$		58

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: WISHBONE ASH

Album Title: Wishbone Four.

Producer(s): Wishbone Ash.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: So Many Things to Say; Ballad of the Beacon; No Easy Road; Everybody Needs a Friend.

Side 2: Doctor; Sorrel; Sing Out the Song; Rock ‘n Roll Widow.

Label/Format: MCA Records, pressed by Decca – Original matt black with silver text label.

Label Conditions: Attractive early examples, being matt black any spindle marks will show up badly, glad to say any present are quite light, mostly fine and faint. A couple on side one are long but only really show under angled light.

Cat Number: MDKS 8011.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 130 grams. A solid average weight for this quality Decca-pressed MCA record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Firstly, this was the very first Wishbone Ash album to be issued on the black MCA label as a genuine first pressing. The previous three ALL appeared before this black design, so any copy of ‘Wishbone Ash’, ‘Pilgrimage’ and ‘Argus’ seen on the black label will be repressings and obviously later and NOT first issue copies. Geniune first pressings of this album are fairly scarce and more so with a superb cover that seldom wears well. Along with a very modestly played record and a pristine, unmounted poster/lyric sheet, these are harder still. For those who purchased this when first released, a high percentage wall-mounted the posters and seldom cover-protected the main sleeve. This carefully looked-after copy is very attractive and offers super-clean sound, the poster is simply as new.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: 7-LNMG-279-1L / 7-LNMG-280-1L

Stamper Codes: 1 H / 1 BA [the ‘H’ on side one could be an ‘M’]

Brief Artist & Album Info: As the title cunningly suggests, Wishbone Ash’s fourth album, a fine record it is too considering the near impossible task of following the masterpiece which was Argus. Again featuring their finest classic line-up, this is more double-guitar-driven rock of the highest quality. This vintage first pressing is quite magnificent with a very clean record, barely worn cover, date-coded inner sleeve and that more elusive, large tri-fold-out poster (with lyrics printed on back). This is totally mint, unmounted and almost certainly hardly opened or handled. Rock loving vinyl connoisseurs should treasure this very fine complete copy.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): an unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed in England by Robert Stace. Rarely seen a much better example of this cover that is so often blighted by rubbing, grubbiness and ringwear, this one is very attractive with any blemishes light and few.

Cover Front: Incredibly clean and fresh, seldom see this better. Blemishes? – well a faint surface mark to the left of the title only seen under light with NO ink loss – merely a faint and fine friction scuff only. Also a mild thumb crease near the right edge centre and a very faint one to it’s right that shows little. That’s about it – this front retains superb freshness and colour, this so often faded and becomes grubby, a much cleaner example will be hard to track down. A small few spine edge hairlines are near impossible to avoid and the lack of rubbing makes this near exceptional.

Cover Back: Practically the same again, an ever less apparent thumb-crease near the left entrance edge, any other creases are very small, fine and faint. Incredibly clean and fresh again and and the lack of ringwear a massive bonus on this one.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Looking terrific with hardly a trace of wear again. One small surface crease on the top edge of the right face, that apart, it’s practically as made.

Top Edges: Both stunning: Mint as made, nothing to add.

Bottom Edges: As above except a rub on both on the very centre, the front being very small indeed, the back a little bigger.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp to very sharp with minimal wear and both guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on either edge as both are open - one holds the large poster. Any thickening negligible and pretty much burr-free.

Spine and Text: Great spine too with minimal traces of any wear. Thick and robust, straight, with anyh compression very slight indeed. Folded square so the edges meet up very closely together and almost parallel. No rubbing, grubbiness or fading to the pale blue surface. All the very fine text is present and totally unworn perfect. This has even avoided any central line creasing which reitterates how little this cover has actually been opened. Rarely, if ever, seen this better.

Corners: All in magnificent neat and undinked conditions. Any tip rubs are minuscule and all retain superb excellent to practically Mint shape.

Cover Summary: A highly challenging one to find in top conditions, this one is really exceptional and really does do it close to maximum justice. The small central rubs on the bottom edges and the mild thumb crease on the front the only issues of any real note. This highly exceptional example should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: this too with a very small window circle rim repair. Clean and still fresh with minimal wear or ageing. The window circles are neat and crisp and my tiny repair neat. The polylining intact and clear with modest crinkle only. Early MCA albums were Decca-made so this inner is that familiar heavy-duty style too. It has minimal crasing and the edges are intact with no splits or repairs. Very mild glue darkening only, far less than average. Importantly, to reitterate and prove beyond any doubt this record is the ultimate first pressing, this is date-coded 5-73. As this album was issued in May 1973, this is beyond any dispute.

The Poster: MINT: no messin’ on this stunning, as-made poster cum lyric insert sheet. This has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Printed on delicate quite thin matt finished paper, this I guarantee will never be found looking better. Totally unmounted with no tape marks or pin-holes, this is so clean and fresh and unblemished its probably never been out of the cover before. All fold-lines are rock solid and there is no creasing worthy of note, marks or soiling – even on the white lyrics side – all pristine perfect and reference standard, one for the connoisseur collector.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++) / EXCELLENT: a very fine visual copy that again has clearly been played little. There are a couple of surface marks that can be seen on side two without the aid of direct under light viewing – but they have NO sound whatsoever – purely unfeelable surface marks that have not penetrated the surface at all. Any other surface marks are few, finger and more faint. Pressed by Decca for MCA, one of the best quality labels ever and this again failed to disappoint. This record is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed with lovely smoothed edge rims. This vintage very first issue was a delight to play-grade and offers sound above subsequent, much thinner pressings. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors again.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This genuine, first pressed copy plays even above its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is high, if with a slightly undynamic production but with a full and rich sound. An album best enjoyed with slightly louder volume to bring out the warmth of the sound detail. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted, few copies will play a great deal better than this. Carefully stored and well looked after within in a non-smoking environment, simply a typical record from this quality collection. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this excellent rock album. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£46 maximum]) = £10. (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT necessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.